Outback GP worried about finding replacement

Charleville's retiring GP says his practice in south-west Queensland needs about three or four young doctors to take over when he leaves at the end of next year.

Dr Chester Wilson has been practising in Charleville, south-east of Longreach, for the past 34 years.

Dr Wilson says he will miss the place like crazy and worries about who will replace him.

"I would dearly love to get several people but what the practice needs is about three or four young, keen, enthusiastic people who are prepared to share the load, who between them have a reasonable mix of anaesthetics and obstetrics," he said.

"If they can take over and they could have an excellent practice doing a great job for the town.

"The hardest part is finding them."

Dr Wilson has had an unrelenting workload, being on call around the clock for three decades.

He says he thinks he knows why it is getting so hard to lure dedicated doctors to the bush.

"Part of the fact is the change in the attitudes that says ... the bush isn't where you go and do service - the bush is somewhere west of Ipswich where you try and avoid going at all costs," he said.

"So there's a whole attitude shift and this has been fairly much to the detriment of a lot of things in the bush, not just medical."

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